McClure deep water solos 8b+

On 15/09/2004 Steve McClure made the first ascent of Ring of Fire, 8b+, Holy Grail Wall, Mana Island, Croatia, the hardest deep water solo in the world.

These Britons are crazy! In mid-September an 18 member team set off to Croatia to explore the deep water soloing possibilities in the famous Kornati Archipelago.

The crew, including Steve McClure, Chris Sharma, Leo Houlding and Tim Emmett, established over 50 routes during the 12-day trip, which finished with McClure's grand finale: the first ascent of Ring of Fire, 8b+ on September 15. The 13m, hardest deep-water solo in the world, is located on the Holy Grail Wall, Mana Island and begins with a 7m traverse and ends with a crux 9 meters above the water.

McClure spent 2 days attempting the route before his successful free ascent, and the line was subsequently climbed by Chris Sharma, who had previously made the first ascent of an 8b nearby.

For the full first-hand report by Steve McClure and Simon Carter's fantastic portfolio and calendar for 2005, check out Onsight Photograpy